Systems for the protection of mechanical components of fluid systems such as spray nozzles, pumps, piping and valves are well known in the art. Such systems typically consist of screen and filter elements or centrifugal separation systems, both of which require the removal of the solid matter once it has been filtered or separated from the liquid carrier. Screens and filter elements are very troublesome in that they require frequent cleaning or replacement, often produce high and/or fluctuating pressure losses, and are excessively large. These systems are normally backwashed for cleaning and therefore require system shutdown and the loss of large quantities of system fluid. Separators alleviate many of these problems, but still result in some system fluid loss during purging.